Andre Kertesz: Humanism and visual lyricism

Andre Kertesz was a silent but important influence on photojournalism and the art of photography. For more than seventy years, his subtle and penetrating vision helped define a medium that was in his childhood.

Andre Kertesz was a silent but important influence on photojournalism and the art of photography. For more than seventy years, his subtle and penetrating vision helped define a medium that was in his childhood. Although he spent most of his life in the United States, his European modernist sensibility is what made him a legend.

A lifetime dedicated to photography of which he always considered himself an amateur. He was born as Andor Kertész in Budapest on July 2, 1894. His first steps to photography are attributed to some manuals he found in the attic of his house while still a young man. However, his parents did not want him to devote himself to photography, so he was pressured to study commerce, which led him to work on the Budapest stock exchange.

Kertész in New York, 1982 | Image source: Wikipedia

Although he did not enjoy his job, it allowed him to buy his first camera at age 18, an ICA box. In his leisure time, he began to photograph landscapes and neighbors, using as inspiration the magazines that came to his house. A short time later, in 1914, he enlisted in the army after the outbreak of the First World War.

“I am an amateur and intend to remain one my whole life long. I attribute to photography the task of recording the real nature of things, their interior, their life.”

Despite the harsh circumstances involved in the war, he did not abandon photography. He portrayed everything he saw, from the daily life of the soldiers to the moments in the trenches, but most of those images were lost in the Hungarian revolution of 1919.

He was seriously injured, so he leaves the front and returns home. In 1917, during his recovery, he took one of his best-known photographs: Underwater Swimmers. After this photograph, he began to be interested in photographing bodies covered by luminous reflections and distorted images, beginning what would be his photographic style. He is also known for how he captured the instants at the right moments and times.

His father died at the end of the War, so he had to take several occupations, but always insisting that he wanted to devote himself to photography, even when he was frowned upon in his family environment. He felt that Hungary no longer corresponded to him, and convinced of the most encouraging news coming from France, he decided to go to Paris in 1925.

He makes his way in the Montparnasse neighborhood where he meets different colleagues like Germaine Krull, Robert Capa and Ergy Landau, just to name a few. He also mixed with different artists and writers, and began photographing his friends, artist studios and street scenes. André interpreted photography as a diary, where he described the life around him.

“My photography is a visual diary…It is very much a tool, to express and describe my life, the same way poets or writers describe their life experiences.”

Gradually, he was receiving the admiration of people. As of 1928, he began working for French and German magazines from which he received multiple commissions. He married in 1933 with Elizabeth Sali, who also served as a model in his photographs.

In 1936, he left Paris and moved to New York, as he received a commission to do a job that would give him an income of $4,000 a year. He was not as mentioned in the United States as in Europe, but with the arrival of World War II it became impossible for him to return to Paris, as he was of Jewish origin. All the negatives he had left in the care of a friend disappeared.

The decade from 1937 to 1947 represented his darkest years. His work no longer had the same influence, nor was it valued as it deserved; he was no longer included in galleries, compilations or publications. In the United States, due to his Hungarian origin he had no job. Times of shortage, illness and economic difficulties.

He had to reinvent himself in order to move on, since his European artistic attributes were worth little to the Americans. It was thanks to this that he made all kinds of photographs, making him one of the greatest references in imagery at present times.

He was rejected by Life magazine three times in a row because of the simple fact that “his photographs talked too much” and made the written words to be redundant. In 1947 his luck changed, and he signed a contract with House and Garden in which he would travel around the United States photographing opulent houses. That contract would be for $10,000 annually and it got extended for 14 years, until 1961.

In 1964, being 70 years old, thanks to John Szarkowsky (MoMA Director of Photography) he opened his first exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and began to have international recognition.

In this last stage, Kertesz was already a participant in many important exhibitions, from individual exhibitions in places like the Finnish Museum of Photography or The Photographer’s Gallery in London.

He died at home while sleeping on September 28, 1985, fully convinced that his work did not receive the recognition it deserved, as he once melancholy said “it is absolutely too late” [for the honors].

More Stories

Stasys Povilaitis ; Variations On The Topic Of One Poem

Stasys Povilaitis ; Variations On The Topic Of One Poem

It happened that a couple of years ago, during literature festival "Panevezys Literary Winter", a perfect opportunity arose to take pictures of the event participants – people from Lithuanian literature world.
Zurumbático by Luis Cobelo

Zurumbático by Luis Cobelo

Someone who acts in a foolish way. A ninny, bewildered, slow, somber, melancholic, enigmatic, half-drunk, half-mad, and with bad temper. A trance-like sensation.
Metamorphosis by Xuan-Hui Ng

Metamorphosis by Xuan-Hui Ng

Metamorphosis Project was selected and published in our print edition 22. Hokkaido is the second largest and northern most island in Japan.  It produces many agricultural products like potatoes, wheat, corn and soybean.  It is home to volcanic mountains, lush forests, rolling fields and expansive lakes.  The distinct seasons and significant temperature swings between night and day give rise to breathtaking natural phenomena like mist, frost and diamond dust. 
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

From a Distance by Antonis Giakoumakis

From a Distance by Antonis Giakoumakis

This series of my photos, which has been captured in a photo book, is nothing more than an attempt to approach human moments that are most often done subconsciously. An effort that continues.
Pole Vault by Klaus Lenzen

Pole Vault by Klaus Lenzen

The series "Pole Vault" was created over three years during the annual Decathlon meeting in Lenzen's hometown of Ratingen, Germany. The photographer wants to present this aesthetic sport differently than the normal sports photography.
It all is. And nothing by Tomasz Laczny

It all is. And nothing by Tomasz Laczny

This series deals with a notion of loss and absence. I photograph and through the act of capturing I isolate people and objects from time and space to show first of all inability photography to capture constant change and movement of reality.
Land of Gods by Jayanta roy

Land of Gods by Jayanta roy

Gangotri National Park is a national park located in Uttarkashi District Uttarakhand, India. The size of this national park is about 2,390 square km.
Black and white; Old printing processes and Steven van der Hoeff

Black and white; Old printing processes and Steven van der Hoeff

I have studied photography for 4 years in The Hague and graduated with a series of black and white photos of a monastery in Belgium. After graduating i worked for a small record company shooting CD covers and portraits.
Imaginary world; Allegories of life, lessons of nature by Alessandra Favetto

Imaginary world; Allegories of life, lessons of nature by Alessandra Favetto

Alongside my artistic work as a self-potrait artist, I love to create a fantastic and imaginary world where animals, common objects and nature meet in surreal atmospheres.
Night Tales by Babis Kougemitros

Night Tales by Babis Kougemitros

The nocturnal wandering in the borderland of the city and in the far away fields is characterised by darkness and danger. However, the fear that the night ignites is tempered by the freedom it entails.
Doubt and nostalgia for light

Doubt and nostalgia for light

We have to doubt a lot, always, more and more often. Do not take anything for granted; we must not hang on to questions, waiting for others to give us an answer; we must always seek our own answer.
Morning Market in Bangladesh by Ruobing Yang

Morning Market in Bangladesh by Ruobing Yang

My various interests in different aspects of photography help me to deliver many styles of work. My photojournalism work has been internationally recognized and used for educational purposes.
Life in isolation- A short  journey of  a Covid patient by Shaibal Nandi

Life in isolation- A short journey of a Covid patient by Shaibal Nandi

The second wave of Corona virus in India has fallen so heavily that it exceeded daily infection and total infection rate of first wave in the year 2020 and so far highest in the world.
The Secret Question by Nicoletta Cerasomma

The Secret Question by Nicoletta Cerasomma

A public address. The backroom of a grocery store, the locker room of a barber. A secret bar. Another story: hidden, intimate, romantic, alcoholic, illegal, forbidden.
Wildlife portraits by Nick Dale

Wildlife portraits by Nick Dale

I wanted to be a photographer when I was 15, but my mother said I could always take it up later – so that was that for 30 years! I ended up reading English at Oxford and working as a strategy consultant for a few years
Charcoal; A dying trade in Malaysia by Grace Pui Wan Ho

Charcoal; A dying trade in Malaysia by Grace Pui Wan Ho

Charcoal, a dying trade business in Malaysia and cannot substitute by modern equipment. The factories located in spectacular mangrove forest since 1940 in Matang ,Malaysia.
Minimalism architecture : Mihai Florea

Minimalism architecture : Mihai Florea

I consider myself a minimalist architectural and photographer with a desire to create abstract images from the reality surrounding me.
Documentary photography; Can’t Smile Without You by Martin Andersen

Documentary photography; Can’t Smile Without You by Martin Andersen

Photographer and life-long Tottenham Hotspur fan, Martin Andersen has turned his camera on his fellow fans to create ‘Can’t Smile Without You’, an intimate and often visceral collection of photographs taken at home, away, and across Europe from 2013 until 2017 with the last game played at the White Hart Lane stadium.
Surfacing by Philip LePage

Surfacing by Philip LePage

Some pain can’t be shared, some truths can’t be acknowledged. In his artists statement Philip LePage states: “25 years ago I woke up in a hospital with no memory of how I had gotten there. A Certain Distance is an ongoing series of images exploring the things I haven’t been able to say to anyone.

Featured Stories

Off-Season Santas by Mary Beth Koeth

Off-Season Santas by Mary Beth Koeth

An ongoing portrait series of off-season Santas. Santa Roy is a retired police officer who, in 1984, was named one of the Top Ten Law Enforcement Officers in the State of Florida.
Saving Orangutans by Alain Schroeder

Saving Orangutans by Alain Schroeder

This series documents the incongruous behavior between man and the environment in Sumatra. On the one hand, humans destroy virgin forests wounding and killing animals, while on the other, they do everything possible to save them.
Wet-plate collodion process; My America by Rashod Taylor

Wet-plate collodion process; My America by Rashod Taylor

With this work I want the viewer to get a good look at what it is like living in America as a Black man. I use the wet-plate collodion process to connect the past to the present and explore the atrocities of slavery and Jim Crow
Swee Oh ; Street Photography

Swee Oh ; Street Photography

Swee Oh is an internationally acclaimed fine art photographer, based in San Francisco, California.She is originally from Malaysia.Her work is focused in her two favorite genres of photography.
Under the sign of the rat; Roger the Rat by Roger Ballen

Under the sign of the rat; Roger the Rat by Roger Ballen

Surreal, refined, disturbing: Roger Ballen has made a name for himself with his special eye for what is usually considered minor or outside, yet is nevertheless profound and touching.
The Iberians by Candy Lopesino

The Iberians by Candy Lopesino

The Iberian Peninsula is a geographical concept formed by Spain and Portugal, two geographically united countries but separately by an invisible border. 
Swimmers; Spirit above waves by Jan Caga

Swimmers; Spirit above waves by Jan Caga

Spirit above Waves The project shows disabled swimmers in a pool. Almost all people enjoy competing, because it belongs to our human nature, to our animalistic status.
The Children of San Quintin by Griselda San Martin

The Children of San Quintin by Griselda San Martin

Cecilia Sanchez has two children and is pregnant with her third. When asked how far along she is, she simply tilts her head and shrugs. She doesn’t know because she hasn’t been able to see a doctor yet.
Gabriel Isak ; Experiences of the soul

Gabriel Isak ; Experiences of the soul

His imagery entails surreal and melancholic scenes inspired by the inner world of dreams and psychology, where he invites the viewer to interact with the internal world of solitary figures
Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

A photographic project to discover the deep north and the people who have inhabited these hostile territories for millennia, once uncontaminated and which today face new challenges.
Everyday life; Our summer stories by Kata Sedlak

Everyday life; Our summer stories by Kata Sedlak

The idea behind the photo series "Our summer stories" came to existence after my three-year break - the maternity leave.
Jovana Rikalo ; Fine Art Series

Jovana Rikalo ; Fine Art Series

Jovana Rikalo is a fine art and portrait photographer based in Serbia. She loves to capture emotions and feelings, outdoors, in breathtaking scenery. 
Vegetable Peddler by Yoshitaka Masuda

Vegetable Peddler by Yoshitaka Masuda

In Japan, baby boomers continue to grow older, and the population 75 years or older has grown to be 13.3% of the total population. 6.1% of these women and 2.7% of these men cannot go out shopping or ask a relative living elsewhere to assist them.
So Coney! by David Godichaud

So Coney! by David Godichaud

Coney island isn't only Wonder Wheel and burger shops. It is also and before New York's beach where all communities from Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are merging during summers to escape the heat.
Portraits with Wet Plate Collodion by Paul Alsop & Luke White

Portraits with Wet Plate Collodion by Paul Alsop & Luke White

Wet Plate Collodion is a historic photographic process that was pioneered and used in the In the mid to late 1800's by an English photographer called Frederick Scott Archer.
Altitude by Hengki Koentjoro

Altitude by Hengki Koentjoro

It’s one of the utmost forms of joy in life: the delight of waking up in the youngest hour of the morning, racing with the break of dawn to ascend the height of the earth.

Trending Stories

Sarah Koenig Wagner; Exhibitions manager for Medium Festival

Sarah Koenig Wagner; Exhibitions manager for Medium Festival

Sarah Koenig Wagner is a photographic artist and fine arts advocate who holds degrees in photography and art history from the University of Arizona.
Luca Tombolini : Landscape Studies – Matching the States of the Unconscious

Luca Tombolini : Landscape Studies – Matching the States of the Unconscious

During the summer of 1941 these white limestone hills saw the massacre of between 4000 to 10000 people, the exact number is uncertain. It’s Slana concentration camp, on Pag island, Croatia.
Interview with Alain Schroeder ; Honorable mention in our black & white 2018

Interview with Alain Schroeder ; Honorable mention in our black & white 2018

Belgian photographer Alain Schroeder has been working in photography for more than three decades, first as a sports photographer for 15 years (shooting 500 magazine covers during his tenure), before turning to book assignments spanning travel, fine-art and architecture.
Markku…Polo by Markku Lahdesmaki

Markku…Polo by Markku Lahdesmaki

Polo is the sport of kings. Here in the Coachella valley, California  -it belongs to everyone, to the Eldorado and Empire clubs, to young and old, to women and men, to the green grass and vast sky. And to a photographer’s curiosity.
Independent artist; Caravan Avenue by Boris Dumont

Independent artist; Caravan Avenue by Boris Dumont

After that I came back to my birth place, Provence and decided to keep doing photography, but professionally. Now I am registered as independent artist in France.
Aerial photos ; Collectives by Cássio Vasconcellos

Aerial photos ; Collectives by Cássio Vasconcellos

The observer is faced with large panels of aerial photos if seen from afar appear to be textures or geometric forms that if inspected closely, surprise the viewer with a richness of details that compose a daily urban lifestyle in consumption patterns.
Fantasy is my drug – Chiara Fersini

Fantasy is my drug – Chiara Fersini

Fantasy is my drug. The world today is so grey and sad, and fantasy is the only thing that makes me see something different and good. It can also make people more optimistic. How could the world have evolved without fantasy?
Escapism by Amanda Mason

Escapism by Amanda Mason

Amanda Mason’s ‘Escapism’ series visually expresses an ethereal sleep state, a place between being awake and being asleep, a place where the mind is semi-conscious
One leg for Mustafa by Xavier Bertral

One leg for Mustafa by Xavier Bertral

Documentary work about Mustafa Assaloum, a guy from Der. Al- Zoor, in Syria. I meet him in Idomeni. he is a refugee, and I still making photos of him from may 2016.
Metaphysical Body Landscapes by Anna Lazareva

Metaphysical Body Landscapes by Anna Lazareva

My childhood I've spent at my grandmother's house in Romania, near Carpathian Mountains. Seeing human's strong bond with earth, observing nature, landscapes around influenced my understanding of earth beauty and mens connexion with it. 
Threatened species; The Ambassadors by Abbey Bratcher

Threatened species; The Ambassadors by Abbey Bratcher

My work aims to unveil the unique characteristics of a variety of threatened species as they are removed from their environment through post processing and presented as ambassadors for their species in the wild.
Between the photographer and the world; You Are Not Alone by Ivaylo Yorgov

Between the photographer and the world; You Are Not Alone by Ivaylo Yorgov

You Are Not Alone project was selected and published in our print edition 19. Ivaylo Yorgov is an amateur photographer, an alumnus and a member of the BECA Before Creating Academy, the first private photography academy in Bulgaria.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.